Is meditation more than a method to calm your mind? Can it actually be used as medicine?
You’d be surprised to find that healing meditation methods can help your body, mind, and spirit. From insomnia to chronic pain, meditation has the ability to treat your body as alternative medicine.
Meditation as Medicine: 5 Ways Meditation Can Heal the Body
1. Meditation to Fall Asleep
Yoga nidra, or yogic sleep meditation, can help you defeat insomnia and get deeper sleep. This form of meditation helps you withdraw your senses and become more aware of your inner self so that you can let go of the outside world. This deep meditation is not meant for you to fall asleep, but many people use yoga nidra to unwind and find deep relaxation at night before bed. It’s a powerful way to train your body to have a relaxation response and go to sleep, which in turn, boosts your health and energy.
2. Meditation for Depression and Anxiety
Meditation is one form of complementary alternative medicine to help those suffering from depression and anxiety. Mindfulness meditations can help regulate moods by making you more aware of your breath. It makes you focus on the present and helps you detach from negative feelings.
3. Meditation for Chronic Pain
Believe it or not, meditation and mindfulness reduce pain by up to 90{90e65f354de6808c13e7e1c3890ce95892ac770a5fce01e3ef4cb36b4689035f}. That’s an incredible number, and one of the reasons why many pregnant women practice meditation leading up to labor. Mindfulness changes the way your brain functions, and can lead to rewiring the brain to feel little or no pain. Through a body scan meditation, you learn to be aware of your body and let go of any sensations that arise. As a result, the struggle or pain in that area melts away.
4. Meditation for Self-Esteem
Meditation is often used to boost self-esteem, confidence, and self-compassion. Through simple guided breathing meditations, you learn to greet your higher self, your spirit. These meditations have verbal cues which help you work through your insecurities and find peace and self-worth. You learn to accept yourself with loving kindness.
5. Meditation for Stress Management
Stress wreaks havoc on the body. It can cause tons of issues, like high blood pressure, diabetes, weight issues, and more. But through meditation, you can calm your body and promote relaxation. It helps boost your resilience against stress and prevents the damage stress causes on the body.
Create a Mindful Meditation Practice
Heal your body and feel more at peace by creating a mindful meditation routine. You can start your day with a morning meditation practice and cup of Be Still tea for inner calm. And then at night, practice yoga nidra to unwind before bed. After a week or so, you’ll start to notice a difference in how you feel!
